This dead tree sits on the north shoulder of the highway. Sadly, the tree is losing its limbs one by one, and for every pair of shoes in the tree, we found two on the ground.

[David McNeill, 10/13/2005]

Shoe Tree

Until today I didn't realize "shoe trees" were a widespread phenomenon. Last summer, I encountered a shoe tree in the middle of BFE, miles from civilization... I didn't notice the tree until I was upon it, so I had to turn around to take a closer look. There is plenty of room to pull off the roadway to examine the tree. It is a medium-sized evergreen. I estimate that the tree contains about 100 pairs of shoes. Upon close scrutiny, many of the shoes appeared to be in very good shape. There didn't appear to be much weathering and most of the shoestrings appeared nearly white, indicating that this particular shoe tree may be relatively new. I jotted down that the tree is located very near MM 89, but I regret that I don't recall the nearest town or landmark.